Automatic railway-switch



(No Model.)

W.C.HU1VIPHREYS. AUTOMATIC RAILWAY SWITCH.

No. 600,674. Patented Mmm 15, 1898.

mmllllllllllllllll VALTER C. HUMPI-IREYS, OF SALISBURY, MARYLAND.

AUTOMATIC RAI LWAY-SWITCl-i.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 600,674, dated March 15, 189B.

Application tiled July 16, 1897. Serial No. 644,824. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that LWALTER C. HUMPHREvs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Salis'- bury, in the county of Vicomico and State of Maryland, 'have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Automatic Railway- Switches, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide an automatic railway-switch which will be operated by certain cars on the line, while it will remain inoperative when other cars or vehicles are passing.

In the accompanying drawings, which illus# trate my invention, Figure 1 is a plan View of a street-railway provided with my improved switch-operating mechanism. Fig. 2 isa perspective view of the mechanism in inoperative position. Fig. 3 is a side View, partly broken away, showing the parts in inoperative position. Fig. 4 is a` section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1. Fig. 5 shows means under control of the motorman for controlling the switch.

matic switching mechanism is thrown into operative position by each car before reaching the switch, but only such cars as are provided with a part for engaging the switching mechanism will operate the switch. The switch can only be brought to the operative position through the medium of a flanged wheel, such as a car-wheel, and therefore ordinary vehicles may pass over the track without moving the switch. l

In the drawings, 1 indicates a cable or conduit railway line of the ordinary description, and 2 indicates a line connecting with the track 1 by means of a track-switch 3 and a slot-switch 4. The rails may be of any usual construction, such as the common form of street-railway rails shown in the drawings, having a raised tread upon the outer side. In front of the switch I insert upon one side of the track a short section of rail 5, which is longitudinally divided, forming two parts 6 and 7. These parts are supported in such a manner that they will yield to a limited extent under the weight of the car. A pair of rods 8, projecting downwardly from the yielding rails 6 and 'Z at a suitable point, support at their lower ends a yoke 9, the ends 10 of which are pivoted in the ends of the rods. The yoke 9 is adapted to receive the end 11 of a lever 12, which is mounted upon a suitable pivot or fulcrum 13. The yoke lits loosely over the end ot' the lever, so that the oscillation of the yoke caused by the depression of either of the bars 8 separately will not aect the lever. It will be evident, however, that a depression of both rods 8 will depress the end 11 of the lever and raise the opposite end. The lever 12 is curved outwardly beyond its pivoted point and extends into a suitable casing 14 and thence parallel with the track in the direction of the switch. The outer end of the lever is perforated to form a bearing track and adapted to swing horizontally when` the rod l5 is turned. The arm 18 terminates in a plate 19, which has a central opening 19a, the walls of which iiare upward. Directly above the perforation in the plate 19 is a pointed hook 20 upon the end of a switch-rod 21,which extends under the rails and connects with the pivoted lever 22, which is connected to the track-switch by means of a rod 23. The sloteswitch is also connected to the lever 22 by means of a bent rod 24, extending underneath the cable. Any other suitable connections between the switch-rod and the switches may be employed. The hooked end of the rod 21, as shown, is supported by the casing through which it passes. A compression-spring 25 upon the rod 21 normally holds the latter inward, so that the switch-tongues will be in position for a car passing in the direction of the arrow to go onto the track 2. Upon the wall of the casing 14 is a shelf or bracket 26, which forms a support for the arm 18 when it is swung outwardly by a pass- IOO ing car. Such cars as are to follow the straight track 1 are provided with a strip 27 along one side at a suitable height to engage the arm 17 when the latter has been elevated.

The operation is as follows: Vhen a car approaches the switch in the direction of the arrow in Fig. 1, the flange and tread of the car-wheel will both press upon the spring rail-sectionsv 6 and 7, thereby depressing the end of the lever 12 and forcing upward the opposite end which carries the rod 15 and arm 18, and the perforation in the plate 19 will engage the hook upon the rod 21. If itis intended that the car shall continue on the track 1, it will be provided with a strip 27, which will engage the arm 17 and turn the rod 15, thereby swinging the arm 18 outwardlyinto the position shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4 and drawing with it the hooked rod 2l, thereby openin g the switches for the track 1. When the arm 18 has been lifted and swung outwardly, as described, it rests upon the support 26, so that after the car-wheels have passed entirely beyond the rail 5 the operating-lever 12 will still be supported and the arm 17 will engage the strip 27 and hold the switch open. Vhen the car has passed lbeyond the switch and the arm 17 no longer engages thecar, the arm 1S will be drawn from the support 26 by the spring 25 and will, together with the lever 12 and rod 15, drop into the position shown in Fig. 2. however, the car is one which should pass onto the track 2, the flanged wheels will, as before, force the operatin g mechanism upward, but as the car will no t be provided with a rubbing-surface to engage the arm 17 the switch will not be operated. Should any ordinary vehicle, such as a wagon or cart, pass along the track, it will not affect the mechanism, for the reason that the wheels will not engage the parts G and 7 at the same time as would be the case with a anged wheel.

The car may in some instances be provided with a strip 27,' arranged to swing laterally by suitable leverage under the control of the motorman, as shown in Fig. 5, so as to engage orpass the arm 17, if it is intended that the car shall sometimes follow the straight track and at other times pass around the curve.

Some of the advantages of my improved switching mechanism are that it is entirely automatic in its operation, requiring no thought on the part of the motorm'an. No part of the apparatus need project above the street, and it can only be operated by a flanged wheel, such as a car-wheel.

It will be obvious that the arrangement of the parts may be changed considerably without departing from the spirit and scope of my invention, and I do not, therefore, confine myself to the exact construction shown and described.

I-Iaving described my invention, what I it into operative posit-ion when both parts ot' l said rail are depressed, substantially as described.

-2. In an automatic railway-switch, the combination with switching mechanism adapted to be operated bya device upon the car, of a depressible rail consisting of two parallel parts, one adapted to be engaged by the tread and the other by the ange of a car-wheel, and connections between said parts and the switching mechanism whereby the latter is thrown into operative position upon the passage of a car, substantially as described.

3. In an automatic railway-switch, the combination with a rail consisting of two parts which are independently depressible and a lever adapted to be actuated by said rail upon passage of a car-wheel, of a vertical rod journaled in the end of said lever, said rod having an arm for engagement with a device upon the car, and an arm for engaging the switch-rod, substantially as described.

4. In an automatic railway-switch, the conibination with a switch-rod connected to the switch, of an arm beneath said rod, and normally out of engagement therewith, means actuated by the car-wheels for raising said arm into engagement with the switch-rod, and means actuated bya device upon the car for swinging said arm laterally, substantially as described.

5. In an automatic railway-switch, the coinbination with a switch-rodrconnected to the switch, of an arm beneath said rod, means actuated by the car-wheels for raising said arm into engagement with the switch-rod, a support, and means actuated by a device upon the car for swinging said arm laterally onto said support and maintaining it thereon until the wheels have passed the switch, and a spring for returning the parts to their normal position, substantially as described.

6. In an automatic railway-switch, the combination with a rail consisting of two parallel parts which are independently depressible, of a yoke or cross-piece having its ends pivotally connected. to said parts, a lever j ournaled in said cross-piece midway between its pivotal points and adapted to move the switching mechanism into operative position upon the depression of both parts of said rail, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses. v

VALTER C. IIUMPI'IREYS. Vitnesses:

G. ERNST REARDON, HARRY F. MACHIEU.

IOO 

